This is absolutely WONDERFUL! It’s very malty for an oolong and gently toasted. I really like this! At the beginning of the sip it sort of tastes like a medium strength black tea and then pushes over to a hearty oolong but it’s more malty than most if not all of the oolongs I have tried so far and it’s really yummy! Two thumbs up! Yes…I will have another cup! This is FAB!

Drank very hot it has a strong green flavor with that sweetness tied in.

As it cools to medium sipping temperature the green comes out stronger but with no bitterness, the sweetness still holds and balances this tea. The vegetal flavor is in the main portion of the mouth while the sweetness coats the back of the throat and reminds one of brown sugar. It’s not strong, again it’s just enough to balance the flavor of the tea in total.

As it cools further, a deep earthiness comes out, putting one in mind of a pu-erh almost. Not nearly as strong, of course, but with that same slate-y river-mud tone to it that some pu-erhs have. The sweetness has continued and turned darker and richer. A green note can be noticed here and there, spiking hard in the upper mouth/nose; not in every sip, but there.

And the cooler it gets, the more it shifts into slight berry tones.

This is a complex and rich tasting white.

The longer I drink this, the more I like it as it goes through it’s changes. It may well be a buyer. So far, even among those I wouldn’t buy, I have been pleased with Imperial Tea Garden’s whites. I’m very glad my husband grabbed me a bunch of samples as a gift.

I brewed this one a bit strong, 5.7g of tea to 12oz water, due to finishing off the last bit I had.

Again the scent is strongly tobacco and something faintly, beigely bitter. -But again, not unpleasantly so.

The flavor is very much the smell but with the addition of a light sweetness. The finish is lasting and roasted tasting. There’s also a berry quality to the roof of the mouth and nose when swallowing when it cools some.

Again I like this but probably won’t buy it. It’s tasty, quality, but doesn’t hit my “wow, gotta have!” button. I’m glad that my husband bought me the sample to try, it was very pleasant.

The scent of this steeped brings to mind camp or woodstove fires and a faint sweetness.

The taste is almost shocking, it is so full. This is a much bigger flavor than I’ve gotten from other whites… they seem to usually be delicate, subtle and light. Not this. It’s flavor is almost the of a flavored tea or the strength (but not flavor) of a black tea. It’s very intense for a white.

It’s earthy, very earthy, and as for the “jam” reference it’s not a flavor in this tea… it’s more the description of its mouthfeel; it’s thick and almost chewy. The earthy taste surrounds the tongue and settles on the back of it, before slipping lightly under the front of it. This also has a lot of vegetal flavor around the middle of the tongue. The finish is fairly long and puts the burnt/woodfire touch to the middle of the tongue after a moment.

A very robust tea. Again, it’s surprising for a white. Very, very good.

Preparation

Thanks for this review. I have been unable to connect to white teas because of that subtlety you mention, but I know they are highly prized by many tea drinkers. this selection seems like one that I should try!